On January 22, 2002, Yves Saint Laurent showed his 200th and final couture collection. Now, after 13 years, French fashion powerhouse is making a couture comeback with exclusive pieces for both men and women.
The brand’s current designer, Hedi Slimane, joined the fashion house in 2012 and will be responsible for designing the new haute collection. The collection will be produced at the brand’s new atelier in Paris, tucked inside Hôtel de Sénecterre – a 17th-century mansion along Rue de l’Université – and adorned with art and furnishings sourced from Slimane’s personal archive and the house’s private cache.
Spread across three floors, the space will house three separate areas: the Atelier Tailleur, for tailoring; the Atelier Flou, for dressmaking; and the Salon Couture, a dedicated dressing room.
“The ateliers also produce commissioned hand-made pieces for movie stars and musicians. Hedi determines which of these pieces will carry the atelier’s hand-sewn couture label ‘Yves Saint Laurent’.
These couture pieces may be women or men, a tuxedo or an evening dress, daywear or eveningwear. The ‘Yves Saint Laurent’ private atelier label is made of ivory silk satin and is numbered by piece. The atelier keeps a strict record of all the couture pieces in a gold monogram book,” Saint Laurent revealed.